Not so fast.....

Mountaintops. We all love them right? I mean, many of us love to spend time up ON them, the spiritual or emotional ones anyway. I'll confess to you that I haven't been hangin' with the mountaintop crowd too much here lately. I've spent a good bit of time meandering around the valley, sometimes poking just one toe in to see how it felt, other times just diving right in.

Most of us, if we're lucky, will have a few mountaintop experiences in our lives. I've had a few. Several times on Spiritual Retreats where God met me in a big, big way. And I've had a few on top of an actual mountain called Mount LeConte, a mountain Rick and I hike every November (this year will be no exception if I get my way).

Up on the mountaintop, we experience the exhiliration of being above anxiety. above sadness. nearer to peace. closer to God and the heavens. A place where our minds and thinking can clear and we can experience the grace and the joy and the peace that's difficult to put into words (clearly!) Simply put, on the mountaintop many of us feel that we can see, feel, taste, and touch the divine.

But not so fast.....don't discount the importance of the valley. In the valley, miricales happen every day. True enough, in the valley there's sadness, pain, doubt, and any number of negative feelings. When we're in the valley, we feel like we're the only ones there and everyone else is up on that mountain partying and they've just stepped right over us as they climb up top and left us in our suffering. In the midst of suffering, we humans will often do something we would otherwise never do: we'll let our guard down. We'll decide we can no longer carry our own weight. We'll put down our shield and actually peel off our body armour. And when all the layers of our armour have been peeled away, we are then sitting ducks for transformation.

This week during my prayer time (which has been a bit intense as I try to shake this rash that looks like I have a disfiguring disease), I've had some valley experiences. Feeling the disappointment that came with the difficulty of this last chemo treatment (you know, the one that was supposed to be a walk in the park?), I was feeling really hopeless and frankly just sick and tired of being sick and tired! But then late last week, I began to have the feeling that something important was going to happen. I wasn't really anxious, more like anticipatory. Then on Friday, when I most needed it, I received several phone calls from folks whom I would not normally hear, all letting me know that for whatever reason they just felt compelled to call and check on me. Then over the weekend I had a conversation with a wonderful woman who shared some insights with me that I believe came directly from God. Even now, I feel as if God is preparing me. He's making my "clay" moist. With each of these valley experiences, I felt as if I was being "re-clothed". The sickness made me discard my own armour. Each person God sent my way helped me to put on God's armour instead.

Yesterday as I turned on my computer and realized that the date was October 2, I got a big smile on my face. I realized that if all goes well, November 2 will be my last chemo treatment. That day, I hope will be a mountaintop experience. Until then, I'm finding the valley is more useful. Here, God gets my undivided attention. Scripture's pretty clear that the mountaintop is just a visiting spot (Mark 9:2-8)--the important stuff (healing, for example) happens when we get back down to the valley, having nothing left to lose and we cry out for the one and only one who can help us (see the rest of the story Mark 9:17-27).

So if you find yourself hanging out in the valley of sickness, anxiety, worry, troubled relationship, lousy job, financial stress), know that if you are open to it, there's someone to meet you there. Know that I pray for you regularly. If you need specific prayer, let me know. Email me at blessedfighter@bellsouth.net.

Grace and Peace, Rene